{no more bottles!}

I have tried on and off to get Caroline to switch from Bottle to sippy cup. She will take any sippy cup all day long if it has water in it. The moment there is formula, she used to hand it back and say "all done." Sheesh! How crazy that they get so attached to formula or milk being in the bottle!

I had read/heard from friends to take it one feeding at a time. But, since Caroline is on this liquid diet, it wouldn't work. I took her in for her 15 month appointment/shots last week. The doctor said I would just have to do it cold turkey. He said it took his daughter 3 days (oh.em.gee.) And he said it would be rough.

Oh geez. If I had known that, I might have pushed a little harder starting at 9 months. But, that's also when all of the food shenanigans started, so I know I can't say that. Hindsight is 20/20 right? :)

We got home from the doctor's appointment just in time for her nap. I gave her the final bottle and then put her down. She slept like a dream. Amen! I teared up as I washed all of her bottles and put them away for the last time. When she got up, I offered a sippy cup. She handed it back and said "all done."

She did this for 28 hours.

I am not joking. I don't know how my pediatrician's wife handled 3 days! I just kept handing it to her. She might take a sip, but might have had half an ounce at most total. At the 24 hour mark, it was getting really rough and I started to second-guess myself.

Other kids her age are also eating solid foods, so they are getting other nutrients. She isn't. I can't starve my baby!

So, in a sense, I caved. Not really, but sort of. I filled a random sippy cup (that I rarely use) with pedialyte just to make sure she wasn't going to get dehydrated. She sucked it down!

Then she handed it back to me and asked for more. This is when I got smart.

I filled it with pedialyte, but then mixed several scoops of formula into it.
(*We have been told she has a milk protein allergy, which is why she isn't on cow's milk. Hopefully, we can wean by her 2nd birthday)

She took it! My heart felt like it was about to burst! She drank most of it, so I kept filling it back up.

The next couple of days, I filled it with less and less pedialyte until I was back to mixing water in.

Phew. 28 hours. She slept fine at night, so I really can't even say 28 hours. More like 16 rough hours. Not that bad!

I feel like I dodged a bullet. I know there will be other things that challenge, but this gives me the motivation that I can handle it!

And now, she acts even more independent when she drinks her sippy cup. One more step away from being a baby!


Oh yeah, and she will only take formula from this specific sippy cup! All the other ones she loves for water are only for water. Little particular stinker. How funny is she!